Brooke Whittaker had all but forgotten Nicholas Williams after the "Great Christmas Disaster of 2010." But, when her father announces a business arrangement that will not only move Brooke and her family to New York City, but also forces Nicholas bac...
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About a week and a half had passed since Nicholas and I had finally set aside our differences and became a real couple. And like any new couple that had previously been faking their relationship for various reasons, we had to navigate new uncharted territory.
For example, previously the only temptation I had face when I drove to school with Nicholas, was to not punch his nose when he inevitably said something stupid. Now, there were at least fifteen completely different temptations in the same situation.
The best part, however, was the smiling. If someone had told me a month before that Nicholas Williams would've been the reason I woke up early on a Monday morning smiling, I would've been angry at them for even suggesting the idea.
"Hello?" I answered groggily, after looking down at the name flashing on the screen.
"Hey, Brooke, it's Nick," Nicholas said through the phone.
"I know," I smiled, now fully awake.
"I'm sorry," he started and the smile on my face faltered. "I can't give you a ride to school today, is that okay?"
"Yeah, I have a car, I can get to school," I said, brushing it off. "What's going on this morning?"
"My mom's having a family brunch." I heard Nicholas sigh through the phone and could picture him running a hand through that perfect head of brown hair.
"On a Monday morning?" I asked.
"It's with my Uncle Carter and Ben," Nicholas said, his voice strained.
"Oh," I said quietly. We hadn't really talked about what had happened the night of the wedding since it happened. The subject was a little sore for both of us and neither of us knew the right way to approach it.
"My mom promised it would be quick. I just—If I didn't ever see Ben again for the rest of my life, I'd be happy."
"I know the feeling," I responded, getting out of bed and grabbing my uniform from my closet.
"Well, I'll let you get ready for school while I mentally prepare for this brunch," Nicholas said. "See you at Mr. Johnson's during free?"
"I completely forgot we had that," I said, making my way into my bathroom.
"I'm sure we could find some ways to make it a little more enjoyable now..." Nicholas trailed off.
I giggled, my stomach doing the little flip it did whenever he talked like that. "I have to get ready for school. Bye, Nicholas."
"Bye, Brooke." I ended the phone call with a huge grin on my face.
Once I was washed and dressed for school, I walked down into the kitchen only to find Courtney and Jason sitting on the breakfast stools.
"What do I owe the pleasure of seeing my favorite siblings sitting here this morning?" I said and they both turned around.
"You looked pretty comfortable with Nicholas last night," Courtney blurted out, not even wasting time on pleasantries.
